


Mrs. Hotchner

by Interiorwinter



Series: Work me a little magic [7]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 03:48:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Interiorwinter/pseuds/Interiorwinter
Summary: Spencer wants to do some magic





	Mrs. Hotchner

**Author's Note:**

> Season 1 Episode 7 The fox

“Pleasure seeing you Mrs Hotchner,” Spencer Reid says and waves vaguely, but the way he looks at her suggests exactly the opposite. He knows it is irrational to detest someone he’s barely met but he hates the woman with every cell in his body. He is sure she’s going to be a wonderful mother and still manage to be attentive her husband’s every need. Aaron Hotchner and his fairy tale life. Aaron Hotchner and his perfectly perfect wife. Spencer hunches his shoulders and walks back to the briefing room, willing himself not to shed the tears he can feel welling in his eyes.

Gideon wants Spencer to interview Eric Miller, his first solo interview would have to be a man who could easily snap Spencer in half should he so desire. He knew this was going to be a bad day the minute Hayley Hotchner stepped out of the lift wheeling a pram. Spencer just wants to go home and curl up into a tight ball of needy longing, but he sighs in resignation and shuffles off to do Gideon’s bidding. He knows he should be grateful that his mentor is trusting him to work unsupervised but he’s just too distracted to care very much. The juxtaposition of investigating a possible family annihilator and Hotch’s new status as a father is messing with him. What kind of man could destroy his own family, or for that matter even abandon them, especially when they were young, vulnerable, ill...

Spencer shakes his head slightly to dismiss the unwanted connections his mind is making. This isn’t about him. It’s never about him.

Spencer steps into the interview room carrying a large stack of files. He finds it difficult to meet the eyes of the huge lump of a man sitting at the table, flanked on either side by two more agents. Miller calls Spencer ‘boy’ and thumps the table, rattling his restraints and making Spencer flinch until Hotch throws open the door and barks commandingly at Miller

“Sit down now.”

“Is this your daddy?” Miller leers at Reid, and Spencer feels himself blush at the innuendo.

“I’m done talking to you people,” Miller snarls.

“You don’t have to talk, just listen,” Spencer says slowly, his voice sounding far calmer than he feels. He throws a quick glance sideways to Hotch and sees his superior fold his arms and lean back a little, giving Spencer the opportunity to continue.

“On the occasions you assaulted your wife you were intoxicated. Once the effects of alcohol wore off you were overcome with feelings of remorse.” Spencer leads Miller through a dark narrative of family violence and abuse, finally questioning if Miller had also contributed to the cycle by murdering his own family. The large man breaks at the suggestion he could have harmed his own children and finally explains how when he returned to his home he found his wife and kids already dead. He is crying at the memory and Spencer believes him.

He looks up at Hotch and sees warm, dark eyes looking at him in affirmation and perhaps even a touch of admiration. It is enough to shift his dark mood and make him feel lightheaded. There is almost nothing he wouldn’t do to have Hotch continue to look at him that way. They leave the interview room together, Elle walks between them as they move through the corridor and even her snarky comments can’t erase the elation Spencer feels.

Hotch’s wedding ring drops on the desk next to Spencer’s and he watches it as it spins on its edge before coming to rest with a metallic clatter. Hotch’s back is to him, although he’s angled slightly towards Spencer so the young man feels included in the discussion.

“Each of the dead husbands was missing his wedding ring. This is the unsubs trophy. He targets a family because he lost his own and for a few days he gets to play Daddy.”

Hotch flips the ring between his fingers as he speaks and Spencer wishes he could make it vanish with a wave of his hand. He knows it’s wrong, but also wishes he could make Mrs. Hotchner disappear. Forever.


End file.
